AN: Alright . So, this is my first GC fic. I'm writing this on a whim so please excuse the mistakes. This story takes place about 10 years after GC and is OC-centric. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this fic. By the way, once you guys get to the park scene, I highly recommend that you people listen to "Release My Soul". Guilty Crown fans should know it. It was the song that was playing when Inori died.
'Another boring day at Tennozu High.' Thought Aiko Mizushima. It was homeroom and their adviser, Tsugumi-sensei, was droning on about reminders about exams and whatnot while Aiko was just staring at the ceiling with her head thrown back.
'I wanna go home.' She thought as she continued her pensive staring. Until a piece of chalk hit her square in the forehead. She immediately straightened up and saw Tsugumi-sensei staring at her.
"Mizushima-san, for your sake and for that of your grades, I hope you remember to study for the exams in 2 days." She said sternly.
"Y-yes, sensei." Aiko answered as she hung her head low. As they waited the last 15 minute of class out, Aiko stared out the window. It wasn't as if she was flunking. She's in the Top 5 without actually even trying. She's…just in a bad place right now. It's been 10 years since the 3rd Apocalypse incident. She lost her father, Satoshi Mizushima, to the Apocalypse virus during that time and her mother, Hikari, has been busy working to make ends meet for them ever since. She did her best to not burden her mother with any more problems as well as to help her out in house work. Even if she won't admit it out loud, to anyone or herself, Aiko was angry. At her father for leaving them. At her mom for not having time for her. At herself for not being able to do anything. All misplaced and yet Aiko couldn't let go. Finally the bell rang.
'Hallelujah. What do you know? There is a god.' She thought to herself as she grabbed her things. All her classmates hightailed out of there, leaving her and Tsugumi-sensei in the room.
"Ne, Mizushima-san, I hope next time you'll pay more attention to class." She said. It was no secret that Tsugumi-sensei was part of Funeral Parlor 10 years ago yet after 3 years, the woman has proved herself to be a very capable teacher.
"I-I'll do my best, sensei. Good day." Aiko said as she bowed before leaving. Aiko left campus and walked home. But as she walked home, she passed by the ruins of the GHQ headquarters (1). The area was cordoned off by government officials and after 10 years, the area was in the process of a clean up so it could be of some use. Apparently, the government wanted to use it as some sort of memorial. Based on the stories and rumor mill, the EGOIST singer and Funeral Parlor member, Inori Yuzuriha, lost her life here when the Apocalypse Virus and the voids were being eradicated. Aiko thought it was a shame; she always thought that Inori would make it big in music. After all, she's been a fan of the girl since she was 8. How exactly she died here? She didn't pay attention to the details. Aiko was about to start walking again when…
"Help me."
"Huh?" She asked as she turned around. No one was there. She was alone in the street with only cars passing by. She was about to walk but…
"Help me."
"Freaking hell? Who's there?" She yelled out. Turning around, she almost shat herself.
Standing in front of her was Inori Yuzuriha.
"Help me." Aiko heard her say. Aiko took her glasses off and wiped them before putting it on. Nope, she's still there. What was freaking her out was that she was transparent.
"Holy shit." Aiko muttered out. Inori turned and walked through the cord that prevents civilians from going into the area. It became clear to Aiko that Inori wanted her to follow her. And so she did.
'Weird. There are supposed to be patrols here.' She thought. Some Apocalypse crystals were still lying around here. Inori took her to the very center of the area where, again, as rumor had it, she was supposedly held by the GHQ.
"What do you want from me?" Aiko asked her. Inori's gaze turned downward to the floor where what appeared to be a small crystalline flower stood.
"Take it." Inori said sadly. "Take it to him."
Hesitantly, Aiko kneeled and pried the small object from the floor.
"What is this?" She asked Inori, who simply drew a line from her eye to her transparent chin.
"Tear? Your tear?" She asked and Inori nodded before disappearing.
"Hey, wait!" Aiko yelled. When it became apparent that Inori, or whoever that was, was not returning, she scoffed in exasperation.
"Man. Who the hell do I take this to?"
After that, Aiko decided to hightail out of the ruins before patrols arrive and arrest her for trespassing. She went home, had her dinner, studied and did her homework almost immediately. Looking at the time that passed, Aiko saw that it was 10 PM.
'Looks like mom isn't coming home tonight. Again.' She thought bitterly before taking a shower and heading to her bedroom. Aiko picked the flower from her school coat pocket and examined it.
"I wonder who I'm supposed to take you to." She muttered out. Putting the flower and her glasses on her nightstand, Aiko turned the light off and went to bed.
"Take it to him."
Aiko bolted up from her bed upon hearing the voice once again. Grabbing her glasses and putting them on, she checked the time.
"9:45 AM, Saturday"
"That's it. If there's one person I can ask about this, it's her." Aiko declared as she stood up and grabbed some clothes out of her closet before heading to the shower. Within a couple of minutes, she was ready and clothed. Heading out to the hall, she saw her mother, still in her work clothes, fast asleep on the couch. Hikari Mizushima was a doctor and often worked the graveyard shift at the local hospital. It wasn't new to Aiko anymore to see this in the morning. She covered her mother up in a blanket, kissed her forehead and left a note, informing her of where she was going.
"Took the motorcycle to teacher's house. Got something to ask her. Food on fridge. Love you. –Aiko."
With that, she grabbed the keys to her house and the bike and went over to the parking lot. She hopped on the motorcycle and drove off to another apartment building on the other side of city. After parking, she immediately headed up to a particular room and knocked a few times. The door opened, revealing Ayase Shinomiya, Tsugumi-sensei's paraplegic Endlave pilot roommate.
"Ah, Aiko-chan, what brings you by so early?" She asked as she rubbed her eyes.
"Morning, Ayase-san, is Tsugumi-sensei in?" She asked. Ayase nodded and let her in.
"Make yourself comfortable. Tsugumi is just getting ready."
"Tsugumi is ready. Ah, Aiko-chan, what are you doing here so early?" Tsugumi asked her. Aiko has been to the apartment a couple of months back, when she was taking tutoring from Tsugumi-sensei. She had been on the deep end back then.
"I need to ask you something." She answered. Tsugumi waved her hand in gesture for her to continue.
"I need to know about Inori Yuzuriha." Aiko said. Ayase and Tsugumi's eyes widened upon the mention of the name.
"Look, just hear me out. I know this'll be hard to believe." She requested. And so she went on to tell her story of yesterday's events.
"And just this morning, I heard her. It was like she was whispering in my sleep. 'Take it to him.' That's what she said."
Ayase rubbed her forehead, trying to comprehend the girl's story.
"This…tear. Where is it?" She asked. Aiko reached into her pocket and put it on the coffee table.
"Tsugumi-sensei, I have no reason to lie. And you know I'm jack shit in art so I have no way of making something like this."
Ayase picked up the flower as tears fell down from her face.
"Inori…why'd you have to leave us? Inori…" She said as she cried. Now, Aiko felt bad. She had no idea how to deal with crying girls. But the fact that what she's doing brought back unpleasant memories made it ten times worse.
"Please. I just need to know who 'him' is." Aiko said. Tsugumi immediately grabbed a piece of paper and quickly wrote on it before handing it to Aiko. It was an address.
"You'll find the answers you seek there." She stated. Ayase also handed the flower back to Aiko, who simply took it before bowing and leaving.
"You saw her too, didn't you?" Tsugumi asked her best friend as she looked out the window.
"Why do you think I suddenly started crying like a baby?" She asked as she wiped her tears away. They didn't tell Aiko as they felt like that she had to focus on the task at hand but as they talked and especially as Aiko showed them the tear; they saw someone standing beside the girl by the window. An old friend whom they lost 10 years ago. A friend who sacrificed her life to save the one she loved…
They saw Inori Yuzuriha, faintly smiling at them.
Once more, Aiko was driving her bike towards the destination Tsugumi-sensei set her on. She just prayed that this is the final leg of her trip. She's tired, she's hungry and she really wants to unwind before she starts studying. But it looks like Inori Yuzuriha had other plans. Oh, well. Least she got to find out who 'him' is. She parked her bike and immediately approached the room in the apartment building. She immediately knocked on the door before checking her watch.
"3:00 PM"
'Damn it. It's already this late?' She thought before knocking once again. Then again, she wasn't surprised. The time it took her to prepare as well as to travel from one side of the city to the other then to the middle of the city was time consuming. And traffic. Don't forget the traffic. Especially with the car collision that happened.
"Yes. May I help you?" A polite feminine voice asked. Aiko looked up and saw a female brunette with wavy hair and green eyes who looked like she was in her early to mid 40s looked at the paper again, wondering if she got the wrong house.
"Uh…good afternoon, ma'am. I'm looking for Ouma Shu. Tsugumi-sensei sent me here. I need to talk to him." Aiko said politely with a bow.
"Oh, you're one of Tsugumi's students. I'm Ouma Haruka, Shu's mother. I'm sorry to inform you, Miss…"
It took Aiko 15 seconds to realize that she hasn't introduced herself.
"Ah, Mizushima. I'm Aiko Mizushima." She said as she bowed once more. She thought that it was just plain stupid of her to forget the basics of the basics when it comes to etiquette. However, Aiko was not known for her people skills after all. She was known for not having smiled a lot in 10 years though so she got that going for her.
"Yes, Mizushima-san. Well, I'm sorry to inform you but my son is not in for now. He just took a walk in the park near the river. He spends his afternoons there nowadays. He'll be back at around nightfall. If you'd like, you can wait here. Or look for him. If you decide the latter, he shouldn't be hard to miss. Shu has a walking cane and a prosthetic arm." Haruka told her wistfully. As if she was regretting the fate that befell her son.
"I see. Well, I appreciate the kind offer, ma'am but I'll just look for him. Thank you." She said before turning around and leaving. Aiko knew that the park wasn't far and was just within walking distance, so instead of wasting gas using her bike, she simply walked once more. She arrived at the park where she saw kids playing with their families, lovers on dates, grandparents reminiscing about the old days when they were young and spry. Then, she saw a lone brunette male sitting on a bench. He looked rather pensive. As if he was remembering something or someone. As she got closer, she noticed the cane and the prosthetic arm he had.
"Excuse me." She called out. The man seemed to have heard her as he took the earpiece he had on.
"Yes?" He asked her.
"You wouldn't happen to be Ouma Shu now, would you?" Aiko asked him.
"Who's asking?" The man asked her curiously.
"Uh…Mizushima Aiko. I'm a student of Tsugumi's at Tennozu High. I have something for you." She said. "But I think you should hear me out before I give it to you. Because my story's going to sound crazy."
Shu simply chuckled at her remark as he continued to stare out into the river. Or tried. Considering Aiko put two and two together and noticed that Shu was blind.
"Kid, if you've seen what I've seen 10 years ago, I don't think your story could be as crazy as mine. But sure, I'll hear you out. Come, sit." He offered. Aiko sat beside him and as they both sat and stared at the sun that was starting to go down and the beauty it reflected on the river, the young Mizushima told her story of yesterday's events, similar to how she told her story to Tsugumi and Ayase.
"So, now that my story is done. Here's what I have to give you." She said as she put the flower on his palm. Shu now had tears rolling down his face as he traced the flower with his finger.
"Well, that did sound pretty crazy. If you don't mind, Aiko-chan, I'd like you to hear my story with Inori." He requested of her. Aiko was reluctant.
"Well, I don't want to stir some bad memories-"
"I insist. And how could they be bad memories if that year, as painful as it was, was the best of my life. It brought me to Inori." He said. And so Aiko stayed and listened to the older man's story. How he met Inori, how he got into Funeral Parlor due to unusual circumstances and eventually, how he lost Inori. Aiko saw how much it pained him to have lost the woman he loved. Life seriously wasn't kind to Ouma Shu.
'And here I was acting like a spoiled brat. Angry about losing my dad when this man beside me has lost almost everything he loved in life. Father, Mother, Sister, Friends. Even the person he loved.'
"Ne, Aiko-chan, if you ever find the person you know you'll love for the rest of your life, don't let him go alright?" Shu told her.
"Yes, sir." Aiko answered.
"The sun is setting, isn't it?" He asked her.
"Yeah." She answered. Someone from the park was playing a song rather loudly from his speakers. The song was soothing though. Aiko knew that song. It was called 'Release my Soul'. Then she saw Inori suddenly appear in front of Shu. She was looking at him as tears ran down her transparent face.
"She's here you know. Right in front of us." Aiko told him.
"I know." Shu said. "She's always with me. Right here."
He pointed to his heart as he spoke the words. She was moved by his dedication to his love who's been dead for 10 years. Aiko watched as Inori gently caressed Shu's cheek. Shu closed his eyes upon feeling the gentle, breeze-like touch.
"Arigatou, Aiko-chan. For taking me to him. You were the only one who can see me and hear my plea." She said.
"Inori." Shu whispered as tears slipped down his face.
"Shu, arigatou. For loving me as long as you have now."
"Always, Inori. I will always love you." He admitted.
"Shu, please move on. Be happy. For me. If not for yourself, then for me. Onegai, Shu. Release my soul."Inori request as she hugged Shu. It didn't take him long to make his mind up.
"For you, Inori. I will try to be happy." He declared. Inori finally stopped crying and faintly smiled at them both.
"Arigatou, both of you. Arigatou. Please be happy. I will always be with you, Shu." She said before slowly vanishing.
"She's gone." Aiko told him. Shu wiped his tears and shook his head.
"Not really. She's always here." He said as he pointed to his heart once more with a faint smile on his face.
"Why me? I get that I'm the only one who can apparently see or hear her. But still, why me?" Aiko asked as she gazed upon the river that reflected the setting sun.
"Maybe she saw something in you." He answered as he pocketed the crystalline flower. "Maybe she thought that both of us were kindred spirits; both in pain over losing someone. Come on, kid, I know the tone of someone who lost somebody to the incident 10 years ago."
"Heh, maybe for her to be released, you had to be released from your burden too. Maybe for her to be released, she had to get that flower to you. Aside from the memories, her tear is the one thing of hers you have left." Aiko pointed out. Shu chuckled once more as he stood up and picked up his cane.
"Mind escorting a blind man back home, Aiko-chan?" He requested of her with a smile. Aiko was surprised with the request but closed her eyes and for the first time in 10 years, smiled. As if her anger and burden was released along with Shu's.
"Sure, why not?" She said as she stood up and hooked her arm around the older man's arm. "We're kindred spirits, anyway. That and I left my bike parked in your building's parking lot."
Once again, Shu laughed at her remark. And so, they continued on. Finally free from the burdens of their pasts. They may have lost loved ones. But they were certain that as long as they were around, they wouldn't be forgotten.
AN: Okay, that was pure crap. Here's what the number means, by the way.
1- I'm not sure if that big tower that was shown in the epilogue was the former site of the GHQ headquarters, but what the hell? I'll just stick with this.
Well, I have a long standing personal rule that states that if there is a high number of positive reviews, favorites and follows or if there are no reviews, favorites and follows coming in, story stays in the archives. However, abundance of negative reviews would result in deletion. So, feel free to leave a review, guys. I would love to hear your opinions. I hope you enjoyed this little one shot.
Firework out.